“Wallace” also received directing awards for helmers Nick Park and Steve Box, as well as prizes for voice acting (Peter Sallis), effects, character animation, character design, production design, music, storyboarding and writing.

Box apologized, tongue-in-cheek, for sweeping the kudos. “It’s amazing — we must have done something right. I remember when Nick (Park) asked me to co-direct,” he said. “It must have taken me four frames to say yes.”

Cartoon Network’s “Star Wars: Clone Wars 2″ picked up the prize for television production. Both small- screen production and character design kudos went to cabler’s “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.”

The Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement went to Cornelius Cole III, Tyrus Wong and Fred Crippen. Wong, a Disney vet who served as a production illustrator on “Bambi,” said, “My heart hasn’t beat like this since I proposed to my wife.”

Industry vet Mark Kausler was recognized with the June Foray Award for significant impact on animation.

Accepting his award from Foray herself, Kausler told an anecdote about an encounter with animation legend Walter Lantz. He referred to the short-spoken man, best known for creating Woody Woodpecker, and joked about Lantz’s love of spaghetti.

For technical achievement, the Ub Iwerks Award went to Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride.”

A special tribute also was paid to storyboard supervisor and animator Joe Ranft, who died in August at age 45.